Winter officially begun December 21; however, mother nature did not wait for this day. She had already wreaked havoc across the world, especially in Europe and the US. Europe, unlike the United States, depends solely on imported energy.
A harsh arctic blast caused holidays lights to be dimmed, decreasing the number of holiday shoppers, hurting the European economy. The Grinch had struck some of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe. Heated toilets were no longer a norm. Wow! I have never shopped where there is a heated toilet. Hmm. Europeans were also asked to lower their heating and to take shorter showers to cut energy costs as the fears of the winter crisis emerged. Even the Eiffel Tower was considering shortening their hours of nighttime lighting which amounts to only 4% of the landmark’s electricity use.
The costs of heating are hurting millions of households in Europe, so the government is trying to come up with a plan to help those most affected; however, the grid is overloaded, and blackouts may be a real possibility. Even with the UK Minister trying to be positive about the ability to provide heating throughout the winter, many citizens cannot afford clothing and other items to get through the winter as they are already in debt.
The winter forecast for the rest of the season does not appear to be lessening with more snow, rain and ice in the forecast. People are advised to keep a supply of food and medicine to avoid venturing out.
Can this happen in America? Yes, it can especially if we depend more on other countries to supply our energy needs such as heating. Currently the winter has been harsh in parts of the US with breaking temperatures in Colorado and extreme snow in Buffalo, New York. Many have died and the winter season is slightly under a month old. The worst of the winter is around the corner. The way to avoid the European scenario is to be a totally independent energy nation controlling our own destiny.